Aaron Littleton

Fat Riker may be the worst band on the planet. With thirty years of bizarre shows, puzzling albums and countless lineup changes, their history is almost impenetrable. When one man inherits the band by answering a mysterious classified ad, he finds himself with the unenviable task of sorting it all out.

His guide is the Fat Riker scrapbook, a battered and unsorted history of the group. Its pages are comprised of news clippings, journal entries and more than a few receipts for bulk rate corn chips. Sometimes Fat Riker is an unstoppable creative force. Uncaring to the plight of others, they push music critic Thomas Alanson to the brink. A stream of barely listenable Fat Riker albums flow endlessly into his review pile. Can he escape the musical assault with his sanity and good taste intact?

At other times the band is only barely functional, like when it is headed by hapless accountant Chris Guldan. On indefinite faked sick leave, Chris has little idea of how to run a band. Will Fat Riker fall apart if the band's latest cassette doesn't sell well enough to pay his bills? Worse yet, might Chris have to return to work?